


Legacy

by sergeant_angel



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Doctor Who, Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Young Avengers
Genre: Gen, Grief, Grieving, alcohol mention, character deaths mentioned, no plot why do you think there's a plot here, peggy carter deserved a better funeral, what happened to the rest of the commandos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-08 00:53:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6832264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sergeant_angel/pseuds/sergeant_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Civil War didn't happen three seconds after Peggy's funeral, and Sharon honors her "Aunt" Peggy's memory with some old friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone in this is between the ages of 36 and 25, with the exception of Cassie, who is always the youngest, at 24. If that makes a difference to anyone.

"C'mon, Carter," a dark-haired woman slings her arm over Sharon's shoulders. "Darce already has a table at the bar, the rest are ready whenever you are."

"I think I want to be alone," Sharon shakes her head.

"I know you _want_ to be alone," the woman responds, helping Sharon into her coat. "But you  _need_ to be around people. Now come on, before Trip orders you something disgusting."

"Yeah," Sharon sighs. "Yeah, okay."

"How about you, Rogers?" the woman doesn't even look up from straightening Sharon's coat, "You shouldn't be alone either."

* * *

There's a round of shots waiting when they get to the bar. Steve has to assume the woman--who introduced herself as Kate--texted one of the people crowded around the table so that one's ready for him. 

"All right," a woman with a British accent bangs her hand on the table. "Will the Kid Commandos come to order?" The group quiets as Sharon and Steve and Kate take their seats. The woman nods to Kate, who nods back.

"Thank you, Martha. Sharon, did you want to say something now?" Kate asks in a tone low enough Steve barely catches it. 

Sharon shakes her head, jaw clenching, and Kate rubs Sharon's shoulder and kisses her temple. 

"All right," Kate's voice is loud enough to reach everyone at the table over the low din of the bar. "We raise our glasses to Agent Peggy Carter. Without her, none of us would be sitting here right now. Peggy was fierce, and strong, and true, and we're all better people for having known her."

"Wherever you are, we apologize that you're going to have to deal with our grandfathers again," a large black man with a deep baritone adds, causing a wave of laughter to go through the group.

"Wahoo," concludes a woman with bright glasses and dark hair that is vaguely familiar to Steve. He think he may have seen her when he went to go see Peg-

"To Peggy," Sharon says.

"To Peggy," the assembled company repeats, and they all drink.

* * *

 

 Steve wouldn't have thought a group of people this young would know much about Peggy, but it appears they do, each round of drinks opening up new stories of youthful antics and Peggy Carter helping this hodgepodge of people find their paths. 

"We had a meeting after DC," Kate tells him when someone decides it's time for the second round of food. "Sharon called it. Usually we just get together for funerals and weddings, but this was an emergency."

"What happened at the meeting?"

"We all decided we supported you. And Bucky. You don't know us, I get that, but we kinda know you. And we kinda know Bucky. We'll stand with him if he ever reappears."

Steve stares at her. "Who  _are_ you people?"

"Well, some of us were SHIELD agents...Martha works for British intelligence. Mack's a mechanic. I'm an heiress--"

"That's not what I meant." He stares her down. She doesn't look even remotely intimidated.

"Cassie and Darcy are Dum Dum's granddaughters," she says with a sigh. "Martha's double trouble, her mom was a Falsworth and her dad was one of Gabe's sons. Jemma is Falsworth's too. Mack is also Gabe's, Trip is Dernier's. Obviously, Sharon is Peggy's--well, technically she's Angie's granddaughter, but we all know that Aunt was just a euphemism back in the day, so."

"So that makes you Morita's?"

She smirks at him, and he can see it, then, in her nose and a little in her chin. 

"Our grandparents had lives because of you. We're here because of you. You need us, we're here." She sighs and leans back in her chair. "It's weird, their work was classified when they had our parents, but by the time we all came around, it wasn't. In a lot of ways, we know more about our grandfathers--or mothers, in Sharon's case--than our parents did."

"And you all wound up doing what they did."

She looks at him quizzically. 

"Helping people. Serving. I've seen SHIELD files. Mack, Trip, and Jemma are all SHIELD agents. Martha works for UNIT. Darcy works with Dr. Foster. Cassie used to be an agent and you," he taps on her fingers, "have callouses, I'm guessing from shooting.  I've seen you in pictures Clint has, which means you're former SHIELD agent, also-Hawkeye."

"Impressive, Captain." she takes a sip of her drink and smiles. "Honestly, some of the stories we'd heard, we were kind of expecting more foolhardy idiocy."

"He crashed three helicarriers into my job," Jemma butts in. "I feel like that is precisely the kind of behavior we were promised, Hawkeye."

Trip clinks his glass with Jemma's. "Hear, hear."

"Am I supposed to say sorry?" Steve asks.

"No," Sharon plops down in the chair next to him. "They just like complaining about it."

"That is  _absolutely_ not true!" Jemma splutters. "I'm missing the entirety of my job history! No one is going to want to hire a SHIELD scientist--"

"Says the scientist still working for SHIELD," Trip mutters. 

* * *

The day (and, eventually, the night) is by turns raucous and subdued, a joyful celebration of life and a somber reflection of loss. The whole event moves forward with the steady feeling of familiarity, intended to dull the pain of loss with alcohol and memories. 

The most purposefully mournful moment happens about halfway into the day, when Trip raises his glass. "Dernier."

Martha and Jemma, in turn, raise their glasses with "Falsworth," and Mack then joining Martha to say, "Jones."

Then Kate chimes in with "Morita," which is when Steve realizes this must have been the order his men died in, that these people are their families, and that this loss isn't something he should be witness to.

Darcy and Cassie continue with, "Dugan," which leads to Sharon raising her glass with, "Carter."

Sharon concludes with, "And to the Commandos still living, Rogers and Barnes."

They all drink.

* * *

"Have you done this for every Commando?" Steve eventually asks Kate. Darcy and Cassie have drug Sharon over to an old upright piano and Steve is grateful for a break from so many faces that are familiar yet unfamiliar.

Kate's smile is a wry twist of lips. "Shows, does it?"

He shrugs.

"By the time we were meeting at funerals and not weddings, we all suspected...that we weren't civilians, I guess. Like most of our cousins. Our families, they grieved and mourned, but-I don't know. It was just, I guess we all looked at each other and saw someone who's grandparents had a similar effect on. Like you said, we all help people. And it's nice."

"To have people who understand what you do?"

"To not have to be alone," she corrects.

* * *

"C'mon," Kate loops her arm through Sharon's, then Steve's, as they see the last person off in a taxi. 

"C'mon where?" Steve lets the woman drag him and Sharon back to the hotel, into the elevator. 

"We're going to Sharon's room, and then we're going to eat sugary things. Hot cocoa may be involved. And we're going to watch Disney movies--"

Sharon makes a face and shakes her head. 

"We're going to watch action movies with gratuitous explosions and improbable espionage. Better?" Kate looks to Sharon as she says it. Sharon nods before shaking her head. 

"Hawkeye, you don't have to stay. I'm fine."

"No, you're not, stop lying. Nobody expects you to be fine. Or you, Mr. Man," she directs at Steve.

"I think it's Captain Man, not Mister," Sharon interjects.

" _Captain_ Man? No, that's not happening. Stop trying to change the subject, jeez. You're humans, not computers. You're allowed to grieve."

"Maybe I don't want to grieve, did you ever think about that?"

"Oh, right, that's super healthy. Don't play this with me, Sharon. You know what happens. You can bitch and moan but unless you call the cops, I'm staying."

"I'm not going to call the cops," Sharon huffs as the doors open on to her floor. 

"I know, because you're the one who stayed with me for Jemma, and she  _did_ call the cops. Do you remember Hill's face when she found out-"

"So I should probably head back to my room, then--" Steve tries, only to have Sharon's hand snap out and snag the collar of his jacket. 

"Nuh-uh," Sharon says. "You need three people for a sandwich hug. Kate might be controlling enough for two people, but she's still only got one set of arms."

 "What the hell is a sandwich hug?"

"It is quite literally the best kind of hug humanity has to offer," Kate informs him. 

"It's true," Sharon says, only slightly resigned.

(sandwich hugs, as it turns out, _are_  the best hugs humanity has to offer)

 

**Author's Note:**

> I love the idea of Commando progeny running around saving the world, and Steve not knowing anything about them. Collectively, they've decided to back his plays (and have, in fact, backed his plays) but he doesn't even know they exist.


End file.
